وَكُنتand I was رفعتI raised السوطthe whip بِالأَمسِyesterday رفعةًa single lift
وَكُنت رفعت السوط بِالأَمسِ رفعةً
بِحيثat the place of الرحاal-Raḥā لماwhen اتلأَبstretched straight كَؤُودُهاits steep ascent
بِحيث الرحا لما اتلأَب كَؤُودُها
And yesterday I had raised the whip once,
I raised the whip just yesterday in a way
at al-Raḥā, when its steep ascent stretched straight ahead.
That made the gazelles panic when its knot crackled.
فَماso not زالceased سَوطيmy whip فيin قِرابيmy sheath ونُمرقيand my cushion
فَما زال سَوطي في قِرابي ونُمرقي
وَماand not زلتI ceased مِنهُaway from it فيon عَروضٍa sideward course أَذودُهاI drive her
وَما زلت مِنهُ في عَروضٍ أَذودُها
So my whip remained in my sheath and cushion,
My whip remained in my saddle bag while my shoes
and I kept driving her on a sideward course away from it.
Remained studded as I raced in verse across the land.
فَدَتهmay they ransom him المطاياthe riding mounts الحافِداتُthe swift-striding وقَطَّعَتand cut up
فَدَته المطايا الحافِداتُ وقَطَّعَت
نِعالاًsandals لَهُfor him دونَbefore الإِكامthe hillocks جُلودُهاtheir hides
نِعالاً لَهُ دونَ الإِكام جُلودُها
May the swift-striding mounts ransom him, and may there be cut
Envying camels tore it to pieces and cut through
sandals for him before the hillocks from their hides.
The soles beneath the leather of its straps.
وَصَهباءَand a tawny she-camel مِنهاamong them كالسَّفينةِlike a ship نَضَّجَتshe brought to maturity
وَصَهباءَ مِنها كالسَّفينةِ نَضَّجَت
بِهِwith him الحَملَthe pregnancy حَتىuntil زادَincreased شَهراًby a month عَديدُهاher count
بِهِ الحَملَ حَتى زادَ شَهراً عَديدُها
And a tawny one of them, like a ship, brought to maturity
A gray one from them creaked like a ship
her pregnancy with him, until her count gained a month.
Carrying on until the months of her pregnancy increased.
طَوتshe folded دونَaround مثلِsomething like القلبthe heart مِنهاwithin her ألفَّةًwrappings
طَوت دونَ مثلِ القلب مِنها ألفَّةً
كأَرديةٍlike cloaks منfrom بِركَةٍBirkah تَستَجيدهاyou deem them fine
كأَرديةٍ من بِركَةٍ تَستَجيدها
She folded wrappings around a heart-like thing within her,
She harbored a tenderness for it beyond compare,
like cloaks from Birkah that you prize for their fineness.
Like a downy cloak whose nap pleases hands.
فَلمّاthen when أَتىpassed عامانِtwo years بَعدَafter فِصالِهِhis weaning
فَلمّا أَتى عامانِ بَعدَ فِصالِهِ
عَنfrom الضّرعthe udder واحلولىand he relished دِماثاًsoft pastures يَرودُهاhe roams them
عَن الضّرع واحلولى دِماثاً يَرودُها
Then, when two years had passed after his weaning
When two years had passed after her separation
from the udder, and he relished the soft pastures he roamed,
From the udder and the she-camel speckled with henna that nourished her,
فَصافَthen he spent summer صَنيعاًwell nurtured يَمتَريdrawing milk from أَرحبيةًan Arhabī she-camel
فَصافَ صَنيعاً يَمتَري أَرحبيةً
مَكوداًsteadily milk-rich إِذاwhen ماemphasis استفرغexhausted الخُورَthe tender milkers جودُهاtheir bounty
مَكوداً إِذا ما استفرغ الخُورَ جودُها
he summered well nurtured, drawing milk from an Arhabī she-camel,
She was sleek, a smooth worker racing wide across the land,
ever milk-rich, when their bounty had drained the tender milkers.
Swelling when the valleys poured out their generosity.
رَماهُascribed to him المُماريthe disputant بِالَّذيwith what فَوقَabove سِنِّهِhis age
رَماهُ المُماري بِالَّذي فَوقَ سِنِّهِ
بِسنٍّby an age-stage إِلىup to عُلياthe upper limit of ثَلاثٍthree يَزيدهاhe adds to it
بِسنٍّ إِلى عُليا ثَلاثٍ يَزيدها
The disputant put him above his actual age,
The race driver prodded her beyond her years
by one age-stage, or as many as three he added.
With a goad to heights three times her own.
وآنسَand he glimpsed مِنfrom كُلانَKulān شُمّاًlofty ones كأَنَهاas though they were
وآنسَ مِن كُلانَ شُمّاً كأَنَها
أَراكيبُbands of riders مِنfrom غَسّانَGhassān بيضٌwhite برودُهاtheir cloaks
أَراكيبُ مِن غَسّانَ بيضٌ برودُها
And from Kulān he glimpsed towering forms, as though they were
She sensed the scent of musk as if it were
bands of riders from Ghassān, their cloaks white.
A Yemeni perfume whose essence intoxicates.
يُقَحِّمhe plunges headlong منfrom غَرّاGharrā أَقاحيمَperilous passages عَرَّضَتloomed across
يُقَحِّم من غَرّا أَقاحيمَ عَرَّضَت
لَهُbefore him تَحتَbeneath لَيلٍa night ذيwith سُدودٍbarriers حُيودُهاtheir jutting crags
لَهُ تَحتَ لَيلٍ ذي سُدودٍ حُيودُها
He plunges from Gharrā into perils; there loomed
She dived down from peaks in dives that bared
before him, beneath a night of barriers, their jutting crags.
For her, in a night of blockades, the whiteness of their rocks.
تَغَلغَلَpenetrated deeply سَهمٌan arrow بَينَbetween صُدَّينtwo cliffs أَشخَصَتsent aloft
تَغَلغَلَ سَهمٌ بَينَ صُدَّين أَشخَصَت
بِهِwith it كفُّthe hand رامٍan archer وجِهةtoward a direction لاnot يُريدهاhe intends it
بِهِ كفُّ رامٍ وجِهة لا يُريدها
An arrow penetrated deep between two cliffs, sent aloft
An arrow slipped between two ribs that it had pried apart.
by an archer's hand in a direction he did not intend.
It was deflected by the palm of one who shoots without aiming.
فَجاءَتthen it came بِمثلِwith something like السابريِّfine Sābirī cloth تَعجَّبواthey marvelled
فَجاءَت بِمثلِ السابريِّ تَعجَّبوا
لَهُat it والثَّرىwhile the damp earth ماnot جَفّdried عَنهُfrom it شُهودُهاits witnesses
لَهُ والثَّرى ما جَفّ عَنهُ شُهودُها
Then it came with something like Sābirī cloth—they marvelled
They were amazed at her pace like that of al-Sabri’s.
at it, its witnesses, while the ground had not yet dried from it—
Neither the earth nor its dust had dried from it.
حُبيشاًḤubaysh فسلانَthen Sulān الظِّباءِthe gazelles كأَنَّماas though
حُبيشاً فسلانَ الظِّباءِ كأَنَّما
عَلىupon بَرَدٍhail تِلكَthose الهُشومthe hollows يَجودُهاit lavishly drenches them
عَلى بَرَدٍ تِلكَ الهُشوم يَجودُها
to Ḥubaysh, then Sulān al-Ẓibāʾ, as though
She bounded like the does of the sand grouse, as if
it were lavishly drenching those hollows with hail.
Those slender ghosts flowed over the cold.
فَقَرَّبتُso I brought forward مَفسوحاًa broad-bodied mount لِرحليfor my saddle كأَنَّهُas though it were
فَقَرَّبتُ مَفسوحاً لِرحلي كأَنَّهُ
قَراthe back of ضِلَعٍa ridge قَيدامُهاits forepart وَصُعودُهاand its rising slope
قَرا ضِلَعٍ قَيدامُها وَصُعودُها
So I brought a broad-bodied mount up for my saddle, as though it were
I brought out my camel unburdened, as though she was
the back of a ridge, its forepart and its rising slope.
The ribs of a fold whose poles rose into the heights.
Sol 6.1